


Don't Want to Hurt Anyone

by natashasbanner



Series: Prompts [45]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-07-24 01:11:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16170536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natashasbanner/pseuds/natashasbanner
Summary: Bruce fears that he doesn't have enough control to live in the tower. It keeps him up at night, but Natasha is there for him.From the prompt: Prompt where Nat finds Bruce awake in the middle of the night from a nightmare and she comforts him, and they sorta deal with their feelings and then fall asleep? Love ur account btw!





	Don't Want to Hurt Anyone

**Author's Note:**

> Please enjoy :)

Natasha was exhausted. Well that was an understatement. She was dead on her feet after being awake for over 48 hours and all she wanted was a shower and to sleep for a week, maybe more. She tilted her head back and forth to stretch out her neck as the elevator came to a stop on the main floor. As much as she wanted that shower and sleep, she also needed something to eat.   
  
Natasha figured she could raid the fridge before heading to her suite for some R&R. It was the middle of the night, so she didn’t expect anyone else to be up, but as she made her way across the expansive floor she noticed a light on in the lab.   
  
She put her mission for food on hold as she stopped and looked into the lab to figure out who was up there. It wasn’t Tony, the main lights weren’t on and she couldn’t hear the faint sound of him bouncing ideas off of JARVIS. Last time she checked Helen wasn’t in town so that only left one mad scientist.   
  
The sound of glass shattering met her ears and with a heavy sigh Natasha headed for the stairs, unsure of what she would find in the lab.   
  
At the top of the stairs she slipped into the shadows and observed Bruce from her limited vantage point. Bruce was pacing back and forth, running his hands through his hair as he mumbled to himself. He was in his pajamas, but it was very clear that he hadn’t been sleeping. There were metal tools and shards of glass scattered across the floor and with each pass Bruce got closer and closer to stepping in the mess with his socked feet.   
  
Natasha remained in the shadows as she crept toward the back entrance to Bruce’s lab. She was able to slip into the room unseen. She stepped into the light while Bruce still had his back turned so he could see her when he turned around.   
  
Seconds later Bruce turned to make another pass through the lab and visible stiffened when he laid eyes on Natasha lurking in the corner. He quickly recovered however and leaned on the table behind him.   
  
“I didn’t hear you come in,” he said after a few beats of silence.   
  
“That was the point,” Natasha said dryly, stepping further into the lab and matching Bruce’s stance, resting against the table behind her.   
  
Bruce nodded and ran a hand through his hair. A few seconds passed before he broke the silence again. “When did you get back?”   
  
“About ten minutes ago.”   
  
“And you decided to visit me at three in the morning?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.   
“I was actually headed for the fridge, but you were making a lot of noise,” she admitted with a shrug, but her eyes showed her concern.   
  
“Sorry,” Bruce mumbled, looking down at his feet for a moment before meeting her eyes again. “I couldn’t sleep,” he admitted quietly.   
  
“I can see that,” Natasha responded just as quiet. “Doesn’t explain the mess. Wanna talk?”   
  
Bruce didn’t say a word, but never broke eye contact. Always a good sign. Eventually he let out a long sigh and ran a hand down his face and started talking.   
  
“I saw destruction. What the Other Guy is capable of and this time it hit just a little too close to home,” he said looking away to stare out the lab window to room below. “This place could be rubble in seconds if I can’t maintain control.”   
  
Natasha rolled her eyes and shook her head. “But you can and that’s the point.”   
  
“Loosely,” he countered, unwilling to let her brush of the very real possibility of the Hulk leveling Avengers Tower. He nodded his head toward the mess on the floor to further his point.   
  
“This doesn’t look like Hulk sized mess, but nice try,” Natasha said with a smirk.   
  
“I’m serious Natasha,” Bruce said, frustrated.   
  
“So am I,” she countered. “It’s been over a year since your last incident and Tony has all but Hulk proofed this place. What’s really bothering you?”   
  
Bruce stared at Natasha. He wasn’t at all surprised that she’d seen through him.   
  
“I don’t want to hurt anyone.”   
  
Whatever Natasha had planned to say died on her tongue as she stared at Bruce for a moment.   
  
“I know,” she finally said barely above a whisper. “I don’t either.”   
  
“You don’t have this thing bubbling barely below the surface.”   
  
“You’d be surprised,” she said vaguely. “Look, it’s clear we aren’t getting any sleep tonight. How about I heat up that take out I know Clint has stashed away and we watch a movie?”   
  
“That sounds nice,” Bruce answered, letting out a relieved breath.   
  
“Lead the way, Doc ,” Natasha made a sweeping motion toward the door, but noticed Bruce hesitate with a glance at the glass on the floor. “Leave it.”   
  
Bruce carefully stepped around the shards and past Natasha into the hall. Natasha followed close behind, dimming the lights in the lab as she went. Outside she linked her arm through his and rested her head against his shoulder as they walked, her exhaustion catching up to her all at once.   
  
Bruce looked over at the head of bright red hair on his shoulder and couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at his lips. He could feel his pulse start to return to normal and a calm begin to settle over him just from her presence. She was mumbling something about what movie they could watch, but he couldn’t really hear what she was saying. All he knew was that her voice was soothing. When they separated at the kitchen, Bruce felt ten times better than when he woke up hours ago.   
  
Maybe the Other Guy wasn’t the only one the lullaby worked on, and one look at the smirk on Natasha’s face told him she already knew the answer.   



End file.
